


The Notebook (but make it gay and violent)

by Strvn4attntn



Series: The Notebook [1]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Exy (All For The Game), Andrew is gay and Neil is a disaster, M/M, Nathan is a dick, SO MUCH FLUFF, a little smut, cuz the piano scene is important, no beta we die like men, some violence because of who they are as people, the notebook
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29306925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strvn4attntn/pseuds/Strvn4attntn
Summary: Andrew Minyard is pretty settled in his life until a rich boy from out of town comes into the picture.
Relationships: Aaron Minyard & Andrew Minyard, Andrew Minyard & Renee Walker, Kevin Day & Andrew Minyard, Kevin Day & Neil Josten, Neil Josten & Allison Reynolds, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Nicky Hemmick & Andrew Minyard
Series: The Notebook [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2152539
Comments: 18
Kudos: 64





	1. The New Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Dude, this is just because I want to write them falling in love. I have no idea if this is going to be any good. I do know it is going to be a two part series though.

Andrew had lived in Seabrook his whole life. That did not necessarily mean he had only lived in one place. He had been passed from foster home to foster home like a dead aunt’s cobbler recipe. Used up and passed along. 

He knew every single person that lived from the town border to the bridge that led into the next county. He knew that in the summer the fair would come and the same carnies would be there, he knew that the same group of rich assholes from the city would drive down for a month before leaving again when they got bored of pretending to like the quiet life. He even knew that Roland would be home from college long enough for a blowjob and a few drinks.

What he did not know was that a new boy was going to be in town with his rich family for the whole summer. Andrew hated not knowing things. He especially hated not knowing things and learning about them from Nicky.

“He is gorgeous!” Nicky shrieked, “Like a tiny model. God! His eyes Andrew! You would not believe!” Andrew idly wondered what it felt like to constantly speak with exclamation points. It seemed rough on the throat.

“Shut up Nicky. No one gives a shit about another rich asshole in town for the summer,” Aaron rolled his eyes as he sat down at the table with his cousin and twin.

That was mostly true. Andrew certainly did not care that there was a new person in town. He rarely interacted with the people who lived in the mansions on the edge of the town anyway. As long as the boy wouldn’t be around Nicky, Aaron, and Kevin, Andrew had no reason to give a shit.

Nicky sat up a little straighter like he was preparing to announce the biggest news of his life, “I saw him talking to Kevin! Kev said they had met when they were kids!” 

Well shit. There went the idea of ignoring the new kid in town.

***  
“Kevin,” Andrew did not yell. He barely raised his voice above normal speaking volume but Kevin still heard. That was the thing about Kevin. He was one of the most irritating people Andrew had ever met, but he seemed to be listening to Andrew before he even had anything to say.

Kevin gave Andrew a small smile in greeting but did not stop walking. Andrew had to jog a little to catch up which was not appreciated. He kicked Kevin in the back of the knee in revenge. Also to get him to stop walking.

“Fuck! Andrew, why?” Kevin asked from where he was suddenly kneeling on the ground.

“Who is the new kid?” the blond boy asked instead of addressing Kevin’s question.

Kevin huffed at being ignored but managed to get back to his feet to answer Andrew. “You mean Neil?” Andrew stared at Kevin. He had no idea what the new kid’s name was. “Right, sorry. He’s an old friend.”

“You don’t have any old friends Kevin. You barely have current friends.”

Kevin looked annoyed. Andrew couldn’t imagine why. It wasn’t as if he was wrong. “Whatever. We met at the Nest. We were just kids.”

That stopped Andrew in his tracks. The Nest was the shitty boarding school Kevin had gone to after his mother died. The headmaster and his nephew made it a point to terrorize anyone they felt they were better than and all of the little rich boys who attended the school followed their example. Kevin, as an orphaned bastard, was very often the victim of their cruelty. 

When Wymack had finally found his long-lost son and gone to get him he had found Kevin with a broken hand and a black eye. The headmaster had shrugged and attributed it to ‘boys being boys’. The way Kevin flinched whenever other boys got too close to him suggested a little more.

“You did not have any friends at the Nest.” This had been another point of contention between Andrew and Kevin. Kevin insisted that some of the boys had been his friend when Riko was not there to influence them. Andrew maintained any person who was not loyal and unflinching in the face of intimidation did not deserve to be called a friend.

Kevin sighed and rubbed a hand across his face like he was exhausted. It was nine in the morning there was no way he was already that annoyed and tired. “No. Neil was the only boy who stood up to Riko. He didn’t care about what the other boys said about me.”

That made Andrew pause. Kevin had never mentioned a boy who had stood by him. He had thought that Kevin had told him all about his time at the Nest by that point. How was Andrew supposed to keep all of Kevin’s bullies away if Kevin kept things from him? 

“I thought we talked about secrets, Kevin,” Andrew tilted his head a bit to the side. Kevin did not flinch. He knew Andrew would not hurt him, but he did look a little panicked. They both knew Andrew could make life very difficult when he felt he was not being told the full truth.

‘He isn’t a secret! He was only at the Nest for one semester. I never thought I would see him again so I didn’t think it would matter.”

“Unacceptable. You tell me everything from now on. What if Riko sent him to try and convince you the Nest is better now? What if he is here to bully you and break you like they did before?”

“I don’t think,”

“No,” Andrew cut in, “That is the problem. You never think.”

Kevin looked a little guilty which was promising. Andrew was already bored with this new boy being in town. He had caused a problem and he wasn’t even present. He hadn’t even spoken to anyone other than Kevin yet. It was exhausting to have a problem that was not even a little interesting so early in the summer. 

“You are not going to talk to him again until I ask him some questions. Don’t even go near him. We have no idea if we can trust him.” Kevin looked ready to argue with him. Probably about knowing Neil was not a threat or something equally naive. Threats rarely presented themselves as such, and a boy that Kevin liked from his childhood coming to the same small town that Kevin had escaped to seemed just a bit too convenient to Andrew. 

Andrew let himself lie in wait. There was no need to approach the boy in private or even quickly. The key, in this case, was scaring him and embarrassing him publicly so he would never want to show his face in Seabrook again. Maybe not even in the whole state of South Carolina. So he waited for the perfect moment to enact his plan.

That turned into a longer wait than even Andrew had been expecting. The boy did not seem eager to be social or even to leave his property. Andrew had never even laid eyes on him by the third week of summer. Luckily, the fair came to town in the third week, and, knowing Kevin, there was no way the boy was going to be able to get out of entertaining Kevin for several hours with the games and rides. 

So Andrew started to plan the best way to get rid of the new boy. He wouldn’t be hard to intimidate. A spoiled rich kid like Kevin but without the history of being bullied to make him a little tougher. The poor little baby would crumple like a napkin. Andrew felt a smirk come over his face in one of the only expressions he ever allowed himself. He was going to have fun making this kid afraid.

***  
They walked into the fair the way they usually walked. With Andrew in front and the other three behind him. Nicky wandered a bit behind so he could talk to everyone who passed and flirt with anyone with a penis in the vicinity. 

It would have bothered Andrew if he didn’t find it so comforting to know that Nicky was always somewhere behind him, watching his back. Not that he would ever tell Nicky that. If Kevin was a coward and Aaron was unreliable, then Nicky was the closest thing to backup that Andrew had. That was a depressing thought. 

Andrew was watching Kevin out of the corner of his eye for a reaction. He did not know what this Neil looked like, aside from hot according to Nicky but that just meant he was male. However, he did know that Kevin couldn’t leave anyone who would put up with his constant criticism and anxiety alone and would inevitably go to Neil as soon as he saw him. Even if Kevin had wised up and knew that Andrew was going to go after Neil, he would still react to the sight of his “friend”.

Kevin was not subtle. When he saw Neil his whole face lit up before he quickly looked at Andrew and then looked away. It was a terrible performance. Andrew was considering signing him up for some kind of acting class just so he would never have to see something so pathetic again.

He rolled his eyes as he turned away from Kevin to face the direction the taller boy had looked before remembering himself. He did not see anyone new or interesting. It was the same sea of tanned, drunk faces that showed themselves at the fair every year. Pathetic, predictable, boring.

Then he heard Nicky inhale slightly and turned a bit to the right. There were ten bumper cars in a tiny track ramming into each other as fast as they could. The cars were tiny and only fit one person at a time. Still, everyone in the car pit was laughing as they tried to give their friends whiplash. 

And there, in a red car, trying to push Allison Reynolds into a wall, was the most beautiful boy Andrew had ever seen. His head was thrown back in a laugh as Allison yelled at him for pinning her car to the wall. His hair was lighting up red and brown under the harsh lights of the fair as it blew wildly around his face. Every bit of him was lit up and shining. Andrew had never seen someone so alive.

It was a miracle that Andrew kept his own gasp in. Rarely did he and Nicky agree, but they both knew a gorgeous boy when they saw one. The boy turned to look at them as if he had heard Andrew’s thoughts about him, or maybe Nicky’s dramatic gasp. He gave a smug smile to Kevin and a little salute of acknowledgment when he noticed them. He was too far away to tell the color of his eyes, but they seemed to shine under the bright bulbs around him. 

“Neil!” Kevin yelled, apparently deciding there was no need to ignore him in front of Andrew. Or maybe he was just too excited to see his friend to remember there was something to fear. Beautiful boy or not, Andrew would protect what was his.

Neil smiled at Kevin again as he drove his tiny car to the exit of the tiny car fighting ring. Reynolds followed him like they were attached. Like she already considered him a close friend. The new boy sure seemed to be making himself very popular among people Kevin knew and spent time with.

Reynolds walked in front of the boy with the swagger walk that Andrew had come to associate with the incredibly wealthy. Neil did not walk the same. He seemed to shrink into himself a bit as he walked. Almost like he was embarrassed by the attention he was attracting from Andrew, Nicky, and Kevin. It was strange.

“Hi, Kev,” his voice was a little rougher than Andrew had been expecting. His face was so pretty he was not expecting the slight rasp that suggested a sore throat or maybe a smoking habit. 

Kevin pushed past Andrew to wrap the much smaller boy in a slightly awkward hug. He was so much taller that he had to lean down a bit too far to make the hug look comfortable or natural. 

Andrew found he did not like being pushed past. He especially did not like that Kevin felt it was okay to move towards and touch this boy that Andrew did not know or trust. “Yeah, hi Kev,” Andrew mocked in a slightly higher-pitched version of his normal voice. 

“I didn’t know we could call you Kev,” Nicky pouted like he was being denied something important because he had not been shortening Kevin’s name. 

Kevin looked over his shoulder at Nicky to make sure the older man could see him roll his eyes, “It is just my name Nicky. No one calls you Nick.”

“Gross. I’m not a straight, white mechanic,” Nicky huffed and walked away, presumably to find some attractive man to chat up.

Neil stood on his tiptoes to look over Kevin’s shoulder at the twins. He did not look particularly interested in them. If anything, Andrew would describe his expression as distrustful. Wasn’t that interesting? The stranger from Kevin’s past did not trust the people who were protecting Kevin.

“Are you going to introduce us to your friend Kevin?” Andrew asked. He watched Kevin’s shoulders flinch a bit at his flat voice. It looked like Kevin was not excited about his friends meeting each other. 

“God, you are both ridiculous. I told Neil the drama would be absurd this summer,” Reynolds rolled her eyes and pushed her sunglasses up onto her head as dusk had begun to settle over the town, “Neil this is Andrew, Kevin lives with his family. Andrew, this is Neil he is in town for the summer with my family.”

When Neil’s eyes met his Andrew froze. He was glad that it was harder for him to show emotion than to keep it to himself or else he might have gaped. The boy had the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen. They cut through Andrew in a way he had not been aware any person was capable of. Suddenly, Andrew was a little worried that this new boy could see right into Andrew and knew what he was thinking and feeling.

“Hello,” Neil’s voice was a little more shy greeting Andrew than it had been with Kevin. He was not sure if this timid routine was an act or if blue eyes really did not know how much attention he drew just by existing.

“Why are you here?” Andrew was not great at small talk. Or speaking to people he found attractive. Or speaking to people in general.

Neil did not look surprised or put off by the question, “I am on vacation?” 

“Are you? And you just happened to be in the town Kevin lives in?” Andrew stepped a little closer to Kevin and Neil. Kevin flinched like he wanted to stand in front of Neil before changing his mind. A coward to the end. 

“A bit. I don’t pick where the Reynolds’s vacation, but I did know Kevin lived here when I agreed to come.”

That surprised Andrew. He had felt the boy being here was too big of a coincidence but he had not known he would be so upfront about being in town for Kevin. He also had not realized Neil was staying with Allison until she had announced it at their introduction.

“You came here for Kevin?” Andrew tensed up a bit. He was wondering how quickly this fight would need to take place. If he was going to have to run the boy out of town to protect Kevin from his ridiculous attachment to a boy who had been nice to him six years before. 

Neil tilted his head to the left slightly as he eyed Andrew. He was assessing the threat Andrew presented. That was not what he had expected from a rich boy from a private school. Interesting. “No. I came here for a vacation. Kevin was an annoying side effect.”

Kevin let out a squawk of protest from behind Andrew. Andrew was not sure what to say to that. He had not been expecting this boy. He did not like that. No, he did not like something so pretty and unexpected popping out of Kevin’s past and into his present. It was too convenient and too distracting for Andrew to be able to deal with.

Neil did not look bothered by Andrew’s glare. “Do you want to ride the Ferris wheel?” He asked Allison casually. As if Andrew was not trying to stare him into the ground. Unacceptable.

Allison looked far too pleased as she agreed and they walked toward the glowing circle of death. As Nicky snickered behind Andrew he prepared to do something drastic. He was fairly certain he was going to rue the fucking day Neil Josten had come to Seabrook. He hoped Neil would regret his visit too.


	2. Ferris Wheel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew clears a few things up from way too high in the air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is shorter but i wanted to write this scene before I got to anything else so here you go

The ferris wheel was creaking as it spun in a slow circle. It did not look structurally sound. Andrew had no idea how county fairs were still legal. It seemed like something that should have disappeared when OSHA and life insurance came into play. At some point, this had to be a liability. 

From the ground, Neil and Allison did not seem worried about their inevitable fall to the ground. Allison had her head thrown back in a laugh while Neil said something. He was not scared. He had not been afraid of Andrew, which was rare and unacceptable, or of the unstable fair ride. That did not bode well for Andrew’s chances to get the idiot out of town.

He did not buy that a member of Kevin’s old school had just happened to come to the same town Kevin had escaped to. What were the odds the only Raven Andrew had ever heard Kevin speak well of was the one that ended up in Seabrook. It was almost like someone knew exactly who to send to get close to Kevin. It was almost like a trap.

Usually, it wouldn’t be a huge problem. Andrew’s reputation proceeded him. Especially in a town as small and prone to gossip as Seabrook. If the warnings didn’t scare people away the gold look Andrew sent them upon their first meeting usually did it. If all else failed there were always the knives tucked away waiting for a chance to draw a little blood. 

Except Neil had not done anything to earn a knife to his throat quite yet. Maybe what he really needed was a good threat. One that Andrew knew he could make good on if the idiot didn’t get out of town quick. All that left was finding a way to get the boy alone so he could have a bit of time to show Neil why Andrew was someone to be feared. Someone to run away from.

The answer was clear and deeply unsettling. Andrew already knew how to get Neil alone. He had just been avoiding it for the last two rotations of the wheel. But the ferris wheel only turned five times each ride and time was running out. The little bench that held Allison and Neil was a few feet off the ground when Andrew hit their lap bar and made it come undone. Allison let out a little scream as he ripped her out of her seat and left her on the ground. 

He plopped himself onto the bench next to Neil and put the lap bench back in place just as they began their ascent. Allison was yelling at him from her spot on the ground. Something about her new pants and him being a rat bastard. 

“Dramatic,” Neil observed drily from where he sat next to Andrew.

Andrew rolled his eyes. The fucking mouth on this kid. “I think we need to have a little chat.”

“I think maybe we should avoid each other.”

“That isn’t going to work for me,” Andrew decided after a moment, “Kevin isn’t going to leave you alone and I am unwilling to have a liar anywhere near him.”

“How do you know I’m a liar? I might be very honest,” Neil asked casually. There was something like surprise hidden in his voice though. Something like he had been caught.

“I know a liar when I see one,” not totally true but it sounded intimidating. And he knew Neil Josten was a liar from the moment he saw him, “More importantly, I know a threat when I see one.”

At that, Neil did look surprised, “A threat to who?” 

Why were the pretty boys all so fucking dumb, “To Kevin,” Andrew said slowly like he was explaining a complicated concept to a very stupid person, “The only person here who has a past with you.”

“Not true. I have known Allison for three years. I am here on vacation with her family.”

“Oh my god,” this was getting painful and they had already completed a full rotation, “Why. The fuck. Are. You. Here?” 

Neil took a deep breath and leaned his head back against the seat. The jerk of his head made the bench creak in a way that Andrew really did not like. “I accepted Allison’s invitation before I knew Kevin was here. Once I found out I tried to back out. I don’t particularly want reminders of my time at school either, you know. Allison didn’t let me, and I was hoping I could just avoid Kevin.” Neil smiled wrily at Andrew, “You’re right though. The asshole won’t leave me alone.”

“You showed him human kindness. He imprinted on you like a baby duck.”

“I’m not here to fuck with your little duckling. Kevin was unbearable in school but I hate bullies. I also might have a small problem with shutting my mouth and minding my own business.”

Andrew let out a snort at that. He had known this disaster boy for all of an hour and he would have been willing to bet money that he had instigated every argument he had ever been in. “You are not in contact with Riko?”

“No?” Neil looked at Andrew strangely, “I haven’t thought about that prick in years. I never was one of his little minions and he basically got me kicked out of school because I didn’t let him boss me around. I don’t give a shit about a private school I haven’t been to since I hit puberty.”

Andrew looked meaningfully at Neil’s short stature, “Oh shut the fuck up I have at least three inches on you.”

“I think you mean at most,” He thought for a moment, “You will leave Kevin and my people alone while you are in town.”

“No problem. All of you seem like assholes anyway.” 

The ride was coming to an end and Andrew was glad to be able to put his feet back on solid ground. He made sure he could stand without shaking before he put any weight on his feet. He hoped it came across as unbothered instead of a way to steady his nerves. 

“What the fuck, Minyard?” Allison yelled as she ran toward them, “You could have seriously hurt me.”

Andrew glanced at her cooly as Nicky and Kevin came up on either side of him. Aaron was suspiciously absent. If he got a girl pregnant before he could get to college Andrew was going to kill him and them the girl and then him again. “You look fine to me.”

“I’m alright Aly. He just wanted to ask me something.” Neil gave Andrew a sarcastic little salute as he grabbed Allison’s arm and started to walk away, “Hope I never have to see you again, Minyard.”

Andrew flicked the boy off as he walked off. He did not manage to get the rabbit to run out of town, but at least he would stay away from Kevin. Still, he found himself hoping Neil was wrong. He wouldn’t mind seeing the loud mouth idiot again.


	3. The Movie Theater

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Andrew scares Kaitlyn, Nicky gets stressed, and Neil invites a cute boy on a walk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super sorry the update took so long. I am a disaster and probably will not do better in the future. Enjoy the chapter though I guess

Aaron had announced, very casually, that he was going to see a movie just an hour before. Andrew, who was not an idiot, knew that meant he was meeting the girl he had started seeing before school let out. Even Nicky, who was an idiot, had rolled his eyes when Aaron had tried to pass it off as wanting to see the new movie that had finally made it to the little town theater. It really just went to show that Aaron shouldn’t bother to lie. He was bad at it and couldn’t even fool one of the least observant men in the world.

“Renee seemed happy to see you yesterday,” Nicky said suggestively from the passenger seat of Andrew’s car. Proving his point.

“She said hi and asked about my school year,” Andrew replied flatly, “She literally asked you the exact same question.”

“Yeah,” Nicky said exaggeratedly, “But she asked you differently. It is all about tone, Andrew. Something that you just do not understand.” Nicky shook his head. He was under the impression that his cousin was hopeless in the romance department. Which was true. Andrew wasn’t really looking for romance as much as an acceptable hookup partner.

“Let it go, Nicky. It isn’t going to happen,” Andrew muttered. He wondered what exactly he had to say to get Nicky to leave him the hell alone. Eventually, he was just going to blow Roland in plain sight and hope that was enough to get it through Nicky’s thick skull that he was not interested in Renee. With his luck, Nicky would just get upset that Andrew was trying to get Renee out of his system with someone he didn’t like.

“Not with that attitude it won’t” Nicky replied cheerfully as they pulled into the parking lot behind the theater. 

Andrew didn’t bother to reply. He was done with the conversation. And possibly his cousin. Complete cluelessness had to be a good enough reason to disown someone. 

Aaron was not standing in front of the theater when they got there so he was probably already inside trying to sneak his arm around the cheerleader. So fucking stupid. There were a million things Andrew would rather be doing than trying to keep his brother from ruining his life. He had to stop making deals with people who did not give a shit about keeping promises.

“Why are we ruining Aaron’s date?” Nicky asked idly as he fixed his hair in the rearview mirror, “I mean, Aaron does not historically have great taste in women,” Andrew snorted at that understatement, “BUT,” Nicky continued loudly as he ignored Andrew, “Doesn’t he deserve one last fling before he heads off to college?”

Andrew looked at Nicky for a moment, “No.” then he got out of the driver’s seat and slammed the door behind him. Nicky seemed frustrated when he followed Andrew out of the car but he was at least being quiet. 

The bright lights of the theater were a little too much for the quiet street the building sat on. It was like throwing a rave into a nursing home. Distracting and not fit for the setting. It irritated Andrew. He did not like movies enough to attend the theater regularly so the building, especially at night, was very alarming. He was used to the mostly dead and dark buildings of Seabrook.

Nicky’s silence lasted all of ten seconds, “Oh my god!” Andrew flinched at the sudden shriek. “Hi, Renee!”

The girl stood alone in front of the theater. The neon lights made the rainbow in her hair look even brighter. “Hello, Nicky. Are you here to see a movie?” She glanced at Andrew in question. She knew he hated movie theaters. He could barely sit through a whole movie on a good day. He could never do it in a theater. The loud noise in such a confined space was overwhelming. 

Nicky pointed at Andrew and rolled his eyes, “Andrew is stalking Aaron again.”

Renee bit back a smile at that, “I am sure it is not so clandestine as that. Andrew must have a good reason.”

“As far as I can tell it is just the general need to know everything the people in his life are doing.” Andrew had to give Nicky that. He might be annoying but he knew Andrew better than pretty much anyone else.

“My twin has decided to date another unfortunate girl. I’m really just trying to save the cheerleader from my brother’s personality.”

Nicky was still laughing at that when someone called Renee’s name. Andrew turned to see who was coming to meet Renee and felt his heart stop for a moment. Allison Reynolds and her little friend were walking towards them like they were allowed to be there. Like Andrew did not need at least three business days’ notice before he could look at Neil. 

“Renee! How long have you been waiting? We aren’t late are we?” Allison completely ignored Andrew and Nicky as she walked up to her friend. That was a friendship Andrew would never understand. Renee had been in love with Allison for years and insisted on torturing herself by being her friend and watching her date other people from up close. He knew Christians liked to punish themselves, but damn.

“No, not long. I thought a walk sounded nice and it ended up being a shorter one than I expected.”

“God you are Neil are both crazy,” Reynolds rolled her eyes and ran her hand through her hair, “He insisted on going for a run before the sun was even up. Physical activity is for daylight hours.”

“Do you like to run, Neil?” Renee asked politely.

Neil looked so suspicious you would think Renee had just casually threatened him. That was interesting. Fuck him for being interesting. 

“Yeah. It’s alright.” The boy replied shortly. Reynolds rolled her eyes but did not seem surprised by Neil’s reluctance to talk to Renee.

“Sorry Renee,” the taller girl smiled, “Neil still does not know how to interact like a person.”

Neil grimaced and pinched his friend’s waist so she yelled and hit him, but he did not disagree with her. It seemed the pretty boy was aware he was terrible with people. And behaving like a normal one. That was not really a turn-off for Andrew who was well known for not acting correctly in social situations. Something about it not being polite to threaten annoying people with knives.

“Andrew?” Nicky called to his cousin, “Are we going into the theater? I think Aaron and Kaitlyn are standing in line for snacks.”

Andrew glanced through the glass doors of the theater and saw a blond head that matched his waiting in a line of people. He took a deep breath before walking towards the doors, knowing Nicky would fall in step behind him. Nicky was not there to threaten the girl and Aaron. He was mostly there to watch the show and pick up the pieces afterward. In no world would Nicky miss a chance to watch drama or dismiss one of his cousins when they needed his help. Andrew was not sure if Nicky was there for moral support for him or Aaron, but either way, he figured Nicky would try to defuse the situation.

“Hey, Aaron! Fancy seeing you here!” Nicky yelled across the small room. Which, really, Andrew should have expected. There was no universe where Nicky would let Aaron be caught unaware if he could help it. He would have done the same if Aaron was borderline stalking Andrew on a date. 

Aaron spun and Andrew had the tremendous pleasure of watching his brother’s face go white at the sight of him. He might be doing this to protect Aaron from his idiot dick that seemed bound and determined to fuck every girl in town with little regard for the future, but the fear on Aaron’s face made it all worth it. 

“Oh hi Aaron,” Andrew gave his twin a smile that he was sure was in no way reassuring or friendly, “Out to see a movie all by yourself?” The girl who was clearly there with Aaron took a half step back as Andrew approached. 

Aaron pushed Kaitlyn half behind him. Slowly like he was trying not to alert a bear. It would have been funny if it was not just so fucking sad to watch. She had a good three inches on the twins and Aaron was neither thick enough nor tall enough to make a decent human shield. It was probably a sweet gesture though. “Andrew. We talked about this.” Awww. Baby brother was trying to be tough for his little girlfriend.

“God, yeah you’re right we did. How did that go again? Oh, right,” Andrew snapped as if it had just come back to him as he stepped into Aaron’s personal space, “I said no.”

Andrew did not particularly want his brother to be scared of him. He thought it was kind of funny, but he did not like scaring Aaron. It just seemed to be the only way Aaron would listen to him. He had tried being logical or being sneaky, but so far only fear had worked. Even then it only worked long enough for Aaron to find a new girl he was willing to lie to Andrew for. Which seemed to include every fucking girl in town as well as visiting girls in the summer.

“Maybe we could all go see a movie?” Nicky suggested, sounding a little shrill, “I love family time.” Which might have actually been true. Nicky did seem to enjoy being around the twins when they were being silent or agreeing that someone else deserved to be ridiculed. 

“No Nicky,” Andrew gave his cousin a look, “Can’t you see Aaron is here on a date? We can’t butt in on them. It would kill the romance of making out in a dark room surrounded by people.”

“What do you want Andrew?” Aaron sneered. He was reverting into a bitch as a self-defense measure. It was annoying but Andrew was not easily annoyed or distracted.

“Mostly for you to stop lying to me and every girl you take out. Kind of a bag of popcorn. Definitely some Twizzlers.” Andrew noticed Neil roll his eyes and walk away from the scene leaving the cousins, the girl, and Renee. Allison was probably standing back somewhere to watch the action.

Aaron stood up to his whole five feet like that was going to be intimidating. They were the same fucking height and Andrew could definitely throw a better punch. “I can take out a girl if I want. That isn’t part of the deal.”

“You’re right!” Andrew acknowledged, “You know what though? You have only been taking out this little cheerleader for two months now. I think that breaks the deal. Lying to me about it definitely does.”

Aaron snarled a little, “Can I talk to you?”

“Already keeping secrets from your girl,” Andrew stepped back to let Aaron shoulder past, “That does not bode well for a long and happy relationship.”

Andrew followed his brother out of the theater and into the parking lot. The neon lights still hit them but they were far enough away from the theater that no one could easily eavesdrop on them. “This is the last night. I won’t take her out again. Just let me have tonight.” Aaron sounded desperate. Pathetic.

“Not going to fight for your cheerleader? I wonder if she known tonight you are going to end it?”

“Fuck off,” Aaron stepped forward to get into Andrew’s face. His breath kind of smelled bad. “I wouldn’t be ending it if you weren’t a fucking psycho.”

“You made a deal with me. If you want to break the deal go right ahead.” Andrew challenged and Aaron flinched, “Oh that’s right. You want me to keep up my end you just don’t want to keep yours up. Life is all about give and take Aaron. I give you money and get you to college so you can be a doctor and save all the little kids whose mommies don’t love them. You don’t ruin your whole fucking life by getting attached to a girl and getting yourself stuck here.”

“Kaitlyn wants to be a doctor too. She won’t try and keep me here.” Aaron sounded sure of himself. Andrew was less convinced.

“Great. So she can wait for you until you both have degrees.”

“Becoming a doctor takes a fucking decade Andrew. No one is going to wait that long.” He was clenching his fists like he wanted to throw a punch. Andrew really hoped he didn’t. He had his thumbs inside his fists and he did not want to deal with whining about a broken thumb all summer.

“This is the last date, Aaron. Do not lie to me again.” It was final and Aaron knew it. He let out a small yell of frustration then marched back toward the theater. Thumbs still tucked in like an idiot.

Neil walked out of the theater and held the door open for Aaron as he stormed in. Somehow he made holding a door seem sarcastic. God, he was hot.

He walked toward Andrew with his hands casually in his pockets. “That looked like it went well.” Sarcastic little shit.

“Yeah, I love brother bonding.” Andrew did not sound sarcastic. He didn’t sound anything. Neil smiled at him anyway. 

“Want to take a walk with me?” Andrew looked at him for a moment. He had no idea where that had come from. He also hated walking. “Here.” Then Neil pulled his hand out of his pocket and handed Andrew a large pack of Twizzlers he had folded in half to fit in his pocket.

Andrew took the Twizzerls and looked at them for a minute before looking back up at the boy in front of him. The neon really did make his eyes look like they were glowing. “Yeah. Let’s take a fucking walk.”


End file.
